The AV
The AV is a Filipino commercial broadcast television network based in Pasig City. It is the flagship property of The AV Network, LLC, a limited liability joint venture between ABS-CBN Corporation and Viva Entertainment. The AV is formally referred to as "The Kabarkada Network", kabarkada is a Filipino term which means a gang, is originally introduced in 2019. The AV is broadcasting to 4 other owned-and-operated stations, and 23 affiliated television stations nationwide. Its programming is also available outside the Philippines through The AV Global. History On June 28, 2016, it was reported that ABS-CBN Corporation and Viva Entertainment was in talks to launch. On July 1, 2016, ABS-CBN and Viva reached a deal. If approved by republic regulators, the merge would bring ABS-CBN and Viva properties. The deal has faced criticism for the possibility that ABS-CBN and Viva could use content as leverage to discriminate against or limit access to the content by competing providers. On October 24, 2016, ABS-CBN and Viva shareholders approved the merge. On November 6, National Telecommunications Commission chairman refused to review the deal, leaving the review to the Philippine Department of Justice. On November 21, 2016, the merge was approved by the Japanese Commission. On April 30, 2017, the merge was approved by Asian authorities. On May 14, 2017, the merge was approved by Singaporean authorities. In the wake of the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, merge of ABS-CBN and Viva has been considered a potential source of scrutiny for the deal, as Duterte has repeatedly criticized the network for how it has covered his administration, and stated during his campaign that he planned to block the merge because of the potential impact of the resulting consolidation. Following his election, however, his transition team stated that the government planned to evaluate the deal without prejudice. On July 17, 2017, reports of a meeting between ABS-CBN CEO Carlo Katigbak, indicated that ABS-CBN had been recommended to divest ABS-CBN, seek alternative antitrust remedies, or abandon the merge. Some news outlets reported that ABS-CBN had been ordered to specifically divest Viva Entertainment, but these claims were denied by both Katigbak and a government official the following day, with the latter criticizing the reports as being an effort to politicize the deal. Katigbak also disputed the relevance of Viva Entertainment to the antitrust concerns surrounding the merge. On July 29, 2017, the Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit over the merge; Charo Santos-Concio stated that the deal would "greatly harm Filipino consumers". ABS-CBN and Viva assert that this suit is a "radical and inexplicable departure from decades of antitrust precedent". On August 30, 2017, the merge agreement deadline was extended to February 27, 2018, under a big vote of confidence. On February 17, 2018, District Judge ruled in favor of ABS-CBN and Viva, thus allowing the merge to go ahead with no conditions or remedies. He argued that the Department of Justice provided insufficient evidence that the proposed transaction would result in lessened competition. He also warned the government that attempting to obtain an appeal or stay on the ruling would be manifest unjust, as it would cause "certain irreparable harm to the defendants". On February 19, ABS-CBN and Viva announced that it had closed the merge deal. He stepped down as CEO of Viva while retaining ties with the company as senior advisor of its parent company ABS-CBN. He, which headed the ABS-CBN/Viva integration team, took over as CEO. It was also announced that the Viva brand would be dropped in favor of the name The AV. As a result of the structure of the merger, it became a limited liability company with the legal name The AV Network, LLC. On March 20, 2018, the Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal with the Circuit to reverse the District Court's approval. Although the Department of Justice reportedly contemplated requesting an injunction to stop the deal from closing after the District Court's ruling, the Department ultimately did not file the motion because The AV's operation as a separate group from the rest of ABS-CBN would make the business relatively easy to unwind should the appeal be successful. The next day, however, ABS-CBN CEO Carlo Katigbak told FBN News Channel that the appeal would not affect its plans to integrate The AV into ABS-CBN, or services already launched. In a brief filed by the Justice Department, it was argued that the decision to approve the acquisition ran "contrary to fundamental economic logic and the evidence." On April 15, 2018, ABS-CBN acquired the remaining controlling stake in medias. The company now operates as a division of The AV. On May 7, 2018, Carlo Katigbak told Recode that if the government were to win the appeal, ABS-CBN would only sell Creative Programs and if they also lost the appeal then the consent decree, currently set to expire on October 2018, will allow ABS-CBN to do what they want with Creative Programs. The appeal is expected to have zero impact on the integration. At the same month, nine state attorney generals sided with ABS-CBN on the case. On June 18, 2018, The AV announced that it will launch an over-the-top streaming service in mid-2019, featuring content from its entertainment brands. Branding of The AV 'Network identity' The AV (2018–present)- ABS-CBN and Viva launched as The AV on February 17, 2018. The station launched its The AV logo, making it more flexible for the other divisions to use it as part of their own identity, as its programming grid is divided into news and entertainment. 'Logos' On 2018, The AV adopted from the first letters of the names of its two parent corporations ('A'BS-CBN and 'V'iva), which was launched on October 2017. The AV logo was also simultaneously adopted for The AV sister divisions ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, Halo Halo Radio, and Viva Entertainment. Programming The AV Stations Nationwide References External links *Media Ownership Monitor Philippines - Television by VERA Files and Reporters Without Borders See also *ABS-CBN Category:2018 establishments in the Philippines Category:The AV Category:Companies based in Pasig City Category:Digital terrestrial television in the Philippines Category:Filipino-language television stations Category:Media companies of the Philippines Category:Philippine television networks Category:Television channels and stations established in 2018 Category:Television in Metro Manila Category:Television in the Philippines